


The look of love

by Lady_Lola



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, F/F, Falling In Love, Kissing, M/M, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:01:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28853973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Lola/pseuds/Lady_Lola
Summary: University student Nicky needs credits to graduate and get on with his master. With a push and a shove from his friends, he enrolls in a photography class. It all seems to go smoothly, until the last assignment.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Quynh | Noriko, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 12
Kudos: 117





	The look of love

**Author's Note:**

> From this Tumblr prompt: Joe and Nicky model and photographer au.  
> My story deviates a bit from the prompt, because I think the OP wanted something more like professional photographer!Nicky and top model!Joe, but that didn't actually work for me :(  
> Please keep in mind that English is not my first language (I'm Italian just like Nicky/Luca, despite not from Genoa), so if you find some mistakes/inconsistencies, please point them out in the comments and I will try to correct them asap!  
> Enjoy :)

That was it.

That was the end of his (otherwise flawless) career as a student.

Nicky was cursing the moment he had decided to agree with his friends and add a little ‘twist’ to his otherwise very traditional school history.  
It hadn't been exactly a spontaneous choice; he had wanted to take yet another class about symbolism in Reinassance Art, because his Italian roots compelled him to know everything about what he considered the apex of Italian art, but the protests coming from all his friends had convinced him to take another route.

Andy and Quynh had groaned in unison, sick and tired of watching him ruining both his eyesight and lower back bent over photos and replicas of less-known paintings, looking for obscure patterns that probably didn’t mean a thing. Joe and Booker had simply looked at each other, knowing that all the evenings spent on books would have completely erased Nicky’s already almost non-existent social life.

Quynh was a rising star as jewelry and bag designer, with many prestigious magazines fighting to get the exclusive on her newest creations, and Andy, with her degree in Finance and master in Fashion Management, provided the solid foundation for her ascent.   
They had met Sebastien Le Livre, grumpy yet groundbreaking fashion photographer, right at the beginning of their respective careers, and they had not problems admitting that part of Quynh’s success was due to Booker’s (as Le Livre insisted on being called) photoshoots.   
Booker, on the other hand, claimed he only got the attention of magazines like ‘Elle’ or ‘Marie Claire’ thanks to Quynh’s creations and Andy’s shark-like business talent. He also claimed many times that his friend’s Yusuf (or Joe) paintings and drawings were the perfect setting for his photos, so he counted himself lucky for having such talented friends while he just “stood there and pressed a button on the camera”.   
Andy, Quynh and Joe always looked sad when they listened to his self-deprecating boutades; they all wished Bastien could see his true worth, but the years he had spent trapped in an abusing marriage had left him jaded and insecure.  
Nicky had been the last addition to this talented and heterogeneous group of friends, about two years prior; their shared history had begun when he had left his previous accomodation due to his former housemate Keane’s blatant homophobia, which had culminated in Keane planting a knife into a photo of Nicky, right at the throat.   
Nicky had all but fleeted the flat while Keane had been at work, spent few days in a hostel, then thankfully found the flier Joe had hung on the wall of the canteen a few hours earlier.   
They had met and clicked almost immediately, and had been the inseparable ‘Joe & Nicky’ since then.

While they had all praised his observant nature, they all had also conveyed the idea that, for once in his life, he should put this ability into a more practical use, so he had chosen not to enroll the art history class, and to find something more practical.  
His housemate, best friend, love of his life always and forever, Joe, had been particularly enthusiastic of this development, so he had volunteered to teach him some basic notion in drawing and painting; however, the results had been simply horrifying.

“Well, you know that Edison quote, yes? You haven’t failed, you just have found something that won’t work for you” Joe shrugged, unfazed by his own inability to teach Nicky how to draw but also slightly worried in seeing Nicky so distressed.  
“Urgh!” Nicky replied; he was lying face down on their battered sofa, face in his hands, completely still. “Joe, I have to enroll in a class before midnight, otherwise I won’t have enough credits! And I have already checked, the only few classes that are not completed are applied arts classes! And we all know by now I’m shit at them!” He was about to cry.  
Joe felt responsible for Nicky’s breakdown, so he grabbed the laptop and scrolled through pages of already full classes, until his look landed on a class that was still available.  
“Nicky, look! Professor Copley’s ‘Introduction to photography’ still has few spots available!” Joe all but yelled in enthusiasm. “I know Copley, he’s one of the few professors who values effort over results; I think he wouldn’t have problems in giving you the credits you need even if your photos weren’t perfect, as long as you tried your best. I’m sure Booker will let you use some of his old cameras and lens, now that ‘Vogue’ has hired him on a permanent basis and has given him brand new equipment”. 

Nicky looked unconvinced, but there wasn’t enough time to look for other classes, so he muttered a prayer and signed up for the class.

Surprisingly, the class was very interesting, and Nicky proved he had quite the talent for photography; Booker constantly praised his ability to highlight contrast in black and white photos, while Joe claimed he was in love with his eye for composition and balance.   
(“Why can’t you just be in love with me?” Nicky thought desperately every single time.)

Moths passed quickly, and Nicky found himself facing the last assignment, the one he dreaded more than anything; Copley was truly the kind professor Joe had described, but he also had a job to do, and he had told Nicky he couldn’t in good conscience let him pass the class if he didn’t complete all the works and handed in a portrait who showed affection and love.  
Nicky had tried several times to shoot a good portrait, but every single time the results left him dissatisfied and questioning his true abilities. He had also followed Booker to one of his fashion sets to grab some of his secrets, but as soon as he had tried to recreate what he had seen, the portraits had turned out cold, or lifeless.

The last day before the photo was due, Nicky was busying himself in the kitchen, finishing preparing the food for the weekly dinner with friends, when Booker (who for once in his life had managed to arrive early and sober), after watching him for a long time, asked him a question.  
“So, Nicky, how’s the last assignment going?”  
Nicky muttered a swear, but answered while cooking. “Honestly? It’s a nightmare. I’ve snapped pictures of almost all my classmates, but none of them turned out good, or even passable. How do you do it? How do you translate all that beauty from our models to your photos, Sebastien? Sometimes your photos even make your models look better than they are...”   
Nicky sounded so abated Booker felt sorry for him.  
“I really don’t know, Nicky. It’s what I do, I suppose. Sometimes I just stand there and let the camera and the make up people do all the work” Booker shrugged, then looked at his glass of wine before draining it.  
“You really shouldn’t diminish your talent, Book. I have seen the passion, the hours you put into every single of one of your sessions. Watching you is… captivating. I wish you could see your value” Nicky said earnestly, then went over the counter and hugged his friend.  
After few, slightly embarrassed seconds, Booker patted Nicky on the back, and the two separated just as Joe, Andy and Quynh arrived.

After the dinner, while they were relaxing in the warmth brought by good food, good company, and good wine. As the chatting inevitably went to Nicky and his unfortunate attempts at emotional portraits, Quynh came up with an idea.   
“Of course it didn’t work, you asked strangers to pose for you! Why don’t you just take pictures of us?   
Andy sobered up and called her out in a sightly menacing tone: “Quynh, I don’t think it’s a good idea...”   
“No, in fact it’s a great idea!” Joe added enthusiastically, then forced Booker to stand up and start moving the furniture to grant Nicky a little freedom. 

One by one, Quynh, Sebastien, and finally Andy, stood in front of the wall and let Nicky portray them, while Joe acted like lighting technician. However, when Nicky asked him to pose, Joe refused claiming he was a bit too antsy and nervous in front of the camera.   
It was such a stupid lie he felt ashamed in saying it, and his shame increased when he looked around and noted that Andy, Booker and Quynh knew it was a lie, and more important knew why he didn’t want to pose for Nicky. Joe wasn’t able to hide his emotions, and he feared that, posing for Nicky, he wouldn’t have been able to conceal his love, and would have put his friend in an unbearable situation, ruining their friendship forever.

Nevertheless, the evening rolled on easily, with laughters and jokes, until wee hours; then, when their guests left, Nicky got his laptop and downloaded all the photos.  
As soon as they appeared on the screen, it felt like a bucked of ice had dropped on his head, because the pictures were nothing like he expected.  
Andy’s wise eyes had become cruel, Quynh’s smart and playful smile had become derisive, and Booker’s pensive nature had morphed in something sad and dejected. Those photos didn’t portray what he personally saw in his friends, so he didn’t want to show them to Copley, or anyone else.  
He closed his eyes, and after few moments tears started rolling down his cheeks. Joe, who until that moment was busy tidying up after the dinner, heard Nicky sob and went to him. 

“Hey Nicky, what’s wrong?” Worry pervaded Joe’s expression, and as soon as he sat next to Nicky and looked at the screen he found out what the problem was. 

The photos were not bad per se, but they were rather… soulless.   
It was weird, because he knew that Nicky loved them and they all loved Nicky (and he did love Nicky more than it was safe for his poor heart); and yet, all those feelings were not showing up in the photos.

“Don’t worry Nicky, we’ll find a way to fix it” Joe said, despite having no idea how.   
Nicky looked at him, and Joe struggled with his emotions for a while before talking.  
“If you really needed, I could… pose for you I guess” Joe offered, despite reluctantly.   
“You’re very kind”, Nicky sniffed, “but I don’t want to force you towards something you don’t feel like doing. It’ll be ok, maybe I can convince Professor Copley one of these photos really is about love”.   
He scrolled through the shots once again; “Maybe Quyhn’s?” he asked, doubt tainting his voice.  
“Quynh looks like she’s just seen you naked and is mocking your manhood. Andy looks like she wants to kill you and dismember your body. Booker… Allah forgive him, he could make Toulouse-Lautrec’s ‘The Drinker’ seem joyful in comparison” Joe admitted.  
“It doesn’t matter Joe, does it? I need a portrait to show Copley tomorrow, and one of these will have to do. Maybe I won’t get a great mark, but I just need pass the class” Nicky lamented.  
“Nicky, look at me: you work really hard to pass your classes with high marks, and you’ve gotten great reviews on every single assignment in this class so far; I don’t want you to ruin your efforts with this last photo!”

Declaring so, Joe left Nicky to stand in front of the tripod, waiting for Nicky to place the camera on it and start shooting.  
“Joe, I can’t thank you enough for helping me.”  
Nicky smiled at him, and Joe felt his nervousness wash away, as it happened every time he made Nicky happy. 

To put Joe at ease, Nicky started recalling funny anecdotes of their two-year friendship, like the time Booker and Andy had drunkenly tried to “adopt” a raccoon, and it had gained its freedom eating through the leather jacket they had put it in, or the time Quynh had been pulled aside at the airport because of a strange buzzing in her luggage which had turned out to be her dildo switched on.  
Before they realized, almost an hour passed and the camera flashed the warning that the memory card was full.  
The beeping sound broke their happy bubble, but both men were anxious to see what the photos looked like, and Nicky wasted no time in downloading them on his laptop.

Nicky opened the folder, and he was bombarded with dozens and dozens of pictures of Joe smiling, laughing, having fun with him.   
It was like those photos had been taken by someone else, someone actually good.   
The emotions were tangible, Nicky looked at the screen and could feel himself held in Joe’s soft embrace, like the one he received every time he called his family and his bigoted parents refused to talk to him.  
Nicky turned to Joe, and found Joe embarrassed, almost frightened. 

Joe knew what the look in his photos meant: it was there, his love for Nicolò in full display for everyone, but mostly for Nicky, to see. And he knew that Nicky, despite his shyness and a little bit of naivety, was a very perceiving man.  
When he moved his eyes from the screen to Nicky’s face, he expected to see unease, confusion in Nicky’s eyes; what he did not expect was to see the same look of love Joe had in the photos.  
He supposed Nicky had been as good as him in disguising his feelings.

“You never said a word” Joe whispered.   
“Neither did you” Nicky replied, getting in front of Joe and brushing his fingers on the other’s hands.   
Joe lowered his head a bit and placed his forehead against Nicky’s, closing his eyes.   
"I feared I had everything to lose. Our friendship feels too important..." Joe replied.  
"It feels the same for me too, Joe, but I cannot keep lying to myself and pretend I don't want more..."

They stood so close for few seconds that felt like hours though, then Nicky nudged their heads up a bit and kissed Joe sweetly.  
Joe savoured the warm, chaste contact with Nicky’s lips for a while, before two years of pent-up passion took over and he opened his mouth to prompt Nicky into deepening the kiss.  
Nicky’s reaction wasn’t long in coming: he put his hands on Joe’s face, and pushed his tongue in his mouth, humming in pleasure. 

They moved to the couch in unison, falling onto it and in each other’s arms.  
They kissed for a long time, barely stopping to catch their breath and smile.   
When Joe moved his lips to Nicky’s neck, his now free mouth started a litany of softly-whispered I love yous that shook Joe to his core.  
He lifted his head to look into Nicky light green eyes, and stared at him while he told him “I love you too, hayati”.  
Nicky felt himself tear up, in joy this time, and smiled at Joe. The smile he received back could have lit up an entire city.

They stood up and walked together to Joe’s bedroom, stopping just for the few seconds Nicky needed to pick a photo and mail it to Copley.  
Nicky didn’t even looked at the photos, he knew that any of them showed Joe’s immense love for him.

The high mark and stellar review he received from Copley two days later was just the final proof of it.

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from the song "The look of love" by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.


End file.
